Make the case that customers should buy from you and no one else.
My curiosity has been piqued lately by Bing's "Scroogled" campaign. The premise is that if you're using the Google Shopping product, you're now seeing paid search results, and the advertisers who bid the most come out on top. Vendors who don't pay to participate aren't listed at all, even though they might have a better price or be a better match to your search query. Bing, however, doesn't use paid shopping results, giving you more options to find what you want at the price that works for you.
Bing is doing a great job of directly addressing the competition here. They've drawn attention to an important but oft-forgotten weakness of Google, and shown how their product has strength in this area.
Your Takeaway
As you strategize for 2013, think about your competition. You've researched them and you know more about them than anyone else. What do you wish your customers knew about them? Conversely, what do you wish your customers knew about you? What's the one thing that would bring them to your side every time?
Try some free-writing. Open up a blank document and just write all of this out. Now you have a basis for your next ad campaign.
Pro tip: If you're going to name names in your ads, make sure that what you're saying is factual. Otherwise, you may be subject to a lawsuit. Bing points to Google's own SEC filings and press announcements to back up its story.
Here's the latest "Scroogled" ad from Bing. Happy Holidays!
Does that free-writing exercise I suggested give you the shakes? Let me know, and we can work on it together.
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Is Buying from You Just too Difficult?
Showing posts with label video. Show all posts
Showing posts with label video. Show all posts
How Can You Help Your Customers Today?
The most innovative businesses don't just sell their products, they educate their communities.
How?
Run a winery? Consider videos on how to select, pour, and keep wine fresh, plus recipes on what to serve it with.
Sell scarves? Try a video on how to wrap them around necks, shoulders, hips, and heads. The more your community is able to use your product, the more they will buy.
Make tools? Videos on how to use them to fix everyday problems help new Mr. and Ms. FixIts be more successful.
You'll notice that I've just used the word "video" three times in the last three paragraphs. Videos are a great way to introduce people to what you do and add sharable content to your website, Facebook, email, and other online channels.
Some suggestions for getting started:
If you're too shy, find an outgoing person at your company who isn't.
Begin with short videos - just one to three minutes - that demonstrate the kinds of things I'm talking about above - how to use your product in innovative ways your customers haven't thought of so that they can get the most value for their investment.
Be honest and authentic. Use your own people and your own products.
You don't need fancy sets or fancy technology - just good light and a decent camera.
For more interest, you can make videos with multiple people and also use them to respond to common customer questions and requests.
Show me your how-tos - please send me your links so I can check out what you're doing!
Related Posts:
Commercials I Love - Direct TV
What is Story Marketing and How Does it Work?
How?
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| From Flickr user Ajmexico. |
Sell scarves? Try a video on how to wrap them around necks, shoulders, hips, and heads. The more your community is able to use your product, the more they will buy.
Make tools? Videos on how to use them to fix everyday problems help new Mr. and Ms. FixIts be more successful.
You'll notice that I've just used the word "video" three times in the last three paragraphs. Videos are a great way to introduce people to what you do and add sharable content to your website, Facebook, email, and other online channels.
Some suggestions for getting started:
If you're too shy, find an outgoing person at your company who isn't.
Begin with short videos - just one to three minutes - that demonstrate the kinds of things I'm talking about above - how to use your product in innovative ways your customers haven't thought of so that they can get the most value for their investment.
Be honest and authentic. Use your own people and your own products.
You don't need fancy sets or fancy technology - just good light and a decent camera.
For more interest, you can make videos with multiple people and also use them to respond to common customer questions and requests.
Show me your how-tos - please send me your links so I can check out what you're doing!
Related Posts:
Commercials I Love - Direct TV
What is Story Marketing and How Does it Work?
Commercials I Love - Direct TV
Those of you that know me personally know that I love TV commercials. The best ones are 30 seconds of art that can make you laugh or cry.
One of the best commercials I've seen recently is part of a new Direct TV campaign - it's called "Don't Wake Up in a Roadside Ditch."
Why do I like it? It's got great timing and visual interest - when I first saw it I wasn't really paying attention but I stopped what I was doing to watch it because it's quite funny.
The premise? People who are unhappy with their cable companies are at the beginning of a downward spiral, which could end up in a roadside ditch. Customers can get back on track with Direct TV.
The only problem? The pitch is at the very end - first-time viewers don't even know what the commercial is for until the very end. I don't think it's a big issue with this particular commercial though - much like the Volkswagen Darth Vader piece, it's interesting enough that viewers will stick around through the end.
Your lesson? There's room for a little story, art, and entertainment in your marketing. Even if you don't do video ads, you can still add some interest and humor to your social media, email, and web promotions.
Take a look and let me know what you think.
One of the best commercials I've seen recently is part of a new Direct TV campaign - it's called "Don't Wake Up in a Roadside Ditch."
Why do I like it? It's got great timing and visual interest - when I first saw it I wasn't really paying attention but I stopped what I was doing to watch it because it's quite funny.
The premise? People who are unhappy with their cable companies are at the beginning of a downward spiral, which could end up in a roadside ditch. Customers can get back on track with Direct TV.
The only problem? The pitch is at the very end - first-time viewers don't even know what the commercial is for until the very end. I don't think it's a big issue with this particular commercial though - much like the Volkswagen Darth Vader piece, it's interesting enough that viewers will stick around through the end.
Your lesson? There's room for a little story, art, and entertainment in your marketing. Even if you don't do video ads, you can still add some interest and humor to your social media, email, and web promotions.
Take a look and let me know what you think.
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